Here are 10 NFL observations from Week 4 following Sunday’s games:
No. 1: Who coaches the San Diego Chargers, Greg Norman or Gene Mauch? The Chargers opened the season allowing the Chiefs to come back from a 24-3 deficit. They also blew a lead against the Colts with 73 seconds left and then choked away a 13-point advantage against the Saints with under seven minutes to play. The Chargers are plus 13 in scoring differential and could be 4-0 if they knew how to protect a lead.
No. 2: Damn Denver’s defense is good. In this era of high-scoring and skewed rules favoring passing, the Broncos have surrendered an average of just 16.1 points per game during their last nine games. No team during their last nine games have been able to score more than 20 points on them. Denver has played strong offenses, too, during this time frame going against the Patriots, Steelers, Chargers, Panthers twice, Bengals twice, Colts and Buccaneers.
No. 3: I don’t wish a concussion on anybody. But if Cam Newton didn’t slow down to hot dog a successful two-point conversion run he wouldn’t have been hit by Falcons linebacker Deion Jones. The Panthers were trailing 34-16 at the time. I’m not a fan of showboating at any time, but this tendency of some players to do it when losing really is sickening.
No. 4: Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III were the first two picks of the 2012 draft, both franchise quarterbacks. Mike Shanahan ruined Robert Griffin III’s promising career by letting him play hurt in a playoff game and Colts management is going to destroy Luck by not getting him adequate offensive line protection. It happened last season and it’s occurring this season with the Colts starting three rookie offensive linemen. If Luck keeps getting hit like this he won’t last half the season just like last year.
No. 5: Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota were the franchise quarterbacks from the 2015 draft taken first and second, respectively. Mariota is enduring the sophomore jinx. Even though the Titans have upgraded their offensive line and running backs, Mariota has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns Tennessee ranks last in the NFL in scoring at 15.5 points a game. Winston has been up and down. He’s on pace to throw for more than 4,400 yards and account for 36 touchdowns. He’s also on pace to commit 40 turnovers!
No. 6: If they ever set up a vulture wing in the pro football Hall of Fame for most stolen touchdowns, John Kuhn would be front and center. The bastard accounted for 12 yards in the Saints’ victory against the Chargers, but managed to score three touchdowns. (Full confession: I have Mark Ingram and Coby Fleener in fantasy football leagues.)
No. 7: Bill Belichick isn’t exactly Mr. Congeniality when the Patriots win. Now coming off a shutout home loss to the Bills, Belichick figures to be particularly unpleasant. At least he has Tom Brady finally back. Poor Cleveland. At least October is here, which means Cavaliers basketball is upon us.
No. 8: The 49ers aren’t going to hold a quarterback edge too many times, but they will in Thursday’s game against the Cardinals. Arizona is going to be forced to start backup Drew Stanton after Carson Palmer suffered a concussion Sunday. Nearly all backup quarterbacks in the NFL are either checkdown artists, or inaccurate downfield throwers. Stanton falls into the latter category. Stanton managed to get picked off three times in just two possessions after replacing Palmer Sunday. One of his interceptions was overturned on replay. Bruce Arians is an offensive guru. But even he can’t coach up the washed-up Stanton.
No. 9: What’s with Jason Garrett and the Cowboys acting like they just won the Super Bowl. All they did on Sunday was manage to beat the lowly 49ers. If the Cowboys really were turning the corner, they would have expected to beat the 49ers not jump up and down with glee like little children when the outcome became inevitable.
No. 10: Here is reason No. 100 why the Miami Dolphins are losers. Some clown named Terrence Fede shoves Bengals punter Kevin Huber to the ground long after Huber already had punted. The roughing-the-punter penalty allows the Bengals to retain possession and drive for a field goal that puts them up 22-7 and essentially ends the game. So what happened immediately after Fede commits his totally unnecessary penalty? Fede gets sent right back on the field to play with the defense. I would have sent him to the nearest Greyhound station.
